Protective tile for covering underground cables



March 18, 1941. E. v. BYERS PROTECTIVE TILE FOR COVERING UNDERGROUND CABLES Filed Dec. 11, 1939 WWW...

Patented Mar. 18, 1941 PATENT OFFICE PROTECTIVE TILE FOR COVERING UNDERGROUND CABLES Edward Victor Byers,

Fenham, Newcastle-on- Tyne, England, assignor to H. J. Baldwin & Gompa-ny, Limited, Nottingham, England Application December 11, 1939, Serial No. 308,743 In Great Britain December 12, 1938 6 Claims.

This invention comprises improvements: in or relating to protective or warning tiles or slabs applicable for covering underground cables and the like, and refers more particularly to members for indicating the position of and/or for protecting buried electric current cables. Tiles or slabs employed for this purpose are arranged end to end and connected together by interlocking elements so as to extend in a line or chain longitudinally over the cable.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a particularly simple and effective means for connecting together the tiles so as to prevent or resist their displacement from the laid position.

The present invention provides a tile or slab, adapted to be connected end to end with others in a line thereof, having an integral tongue projecting from the lower part of one end face and a correspondingly shaped and disposed slot in the lower part of the opposite end face, the arrangement of said tongue and slot being such that a plurality of said tiles may be built up into a line by the engagement of the tongue on each of them with the slot in the next tile.

Preferably the tongue is centrally disposed in the width of the end face of the tile and is of elongated rectangular cross-section with tapering or converging sides and having its longest dimensions extending horizontally and transversely of the tile and its under face flush with the under face of said tile; the recess at theopposite end being correspondingly shaped and located.

The invention also includes the combination with the aforesaid tongue and slot connection of a second interlocking device comprising a metal staple or link removably engaging holes and/or recesses in the upper side or face of the adjoining tiles.

It will be appreciated that the combination of the tongue and slot connection with the staple connection considerably increases the rigidity, strength and security of the joint. Additionally,

" in the event of one of the connections being rendered unserviceable (e. g. through corrosion or breakage of the staple or breakage of the integral tongue) the second connection will continue to function.

In order that the invention may be better understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a line of tiles or slabs according to this invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view, on a larger scale,

of the abutting ends of two connected tiles or slabs; While Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views of a tile or slab according to this invention.

In one method of carrying out the invention the tiles ID are constructed, as is the custom, of earthenware or the like and are substantially rectangular in plan. The upper face of the tiles may be fiat, curved or inclined. Preferably however the upper face is of double pent-house shape, as is shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

Projecting from one end face of each tile I6 and formed integral therewith is a flat tongue I l located centrally in the width of the end. The under face of the tongue is flush with the underface of the tile and the height of the tongue is advantageously approximately one half the height of the tile at its sides. The tongue is advantageously of oblong or elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the end of the tile, the length of the tongue (i. e. the dimension transversely of the tile) being approximately equal to one half the width of the tile. Preferably the tongue tapers somewhat outwardly from the end face of the tile, and the distance to which the tongue projects may with advantage be approximately equal to the height or thickness of the tongue.

At the opposite end of the tile a recess 12 is formed, the shape, dimensions and disposition of which correspond substantially with those of the aforesaid tongue II, it being understood however that the recess tapers inwardly. It will also be understood that the base of the recess is open.

In connecting together two tiles, l9, end to end, the aforesaid tongue H on one of them is slidably inserted into the recess I2 at the adjacent end of the adjoining tile; this being effected by sliding the one tile endwise towards the adjacent tile.

In addition to the beforedescribecl connection there may with advantage be provided a second means of connection consisting of a metal staple 13 adapted removably to engage with holes and/or recesses at the top of the tiles. To this end, near each end edge of each tile is formed a comparatively small vertically disposed hole M, which may extend completely through the tile, each hole being advantageously located centrally in the width of the tile. When the tiles are assembled in the required position end to end with the aforesaid tongue H and recess l2 in engagement, a metal staple l3 of U shape is fixed with its one leg or prong l3a in a hole l4 at the one end of a tile and its other leg or prong l3b in a hole located at the adjacent end of the neXt tile, the horizontal part I30 of the staple thereby extending across the joint between the two tiles and holding the edges in contiguitzr.

Preferably, the horizontal portion I 30 of the staple I3 is straight, the legs Ba and [31) projecting at right angles therefrom and being, if desired, pointed. Further, the horizontal portion may be accommodated, advantageously, in small channels l5 in the upper face or in the ridge of the tiles so as to prevent the staples from projecting beyond the plane of said face, or above the ridge. It will be seen that the channels in the adjacent ends of any pair of tiles are continuous one with the other, the channel in the end of any tile extending from the top of the hole to the adjacent end face.

Instead of forming the holes completely through the tiles, same may extend through a portion of the thickness thereof, as shown in Fig. 2.

Bends or curves may be formed in the line of projecting tiles conforming to the bends or curves in the line of the buried cable; and to this end tiles may be provided having the two ends nonparallel, and the two sides either straight or curved as desired. This is illustrated in Fig. 1.

I claim:

1. A slab-like protective or warning tile applicable for covering underground cables and the like and adapted to be connected end to end with others in a line thereof, having opposed end faces, an integral tongue projecting from the lower part of one said end face and a correspondingly shaped and disposed slot in the lower part of the opposite end face.

2. A slab-like protective or warning tile of the type employed for covering underground cables and the like and adapted to be connected end to end with others in a line thereof, having opposed end faces, a socket near each end face for receiving a connecting link, an integral tongue projecting from lower part of one end face for reception in a like recess in the adjacent end face of a similar tile, and a recess, having a shape and disposition corresponding to that of the tongue, in the lower part of the opposite end face for receiving the tongue on a like adjacent tile in a line thereof.

3. A slab-like protective or warning tile of the type employed for covering underground cables and for like purposes and adapted to be connected end to end with like tiles to form a line thereof, having. an upper face and opposed end faces, a hole or recess in the upper face near each end for the reception of connecting links whereby said tile may be connected to adjacent tiles in a line thereof, an integral tongue projecting from the lower part of one end face and a correspondingly shaped and disposed recess in the lower part of the opposed end face, the construction and arrangement of which tile is such that a plurality of said. tiles may be built up into a line by the engagement of the tongue on each of them with the recess in the next tile and successive tiles in a line connected by links inserted in the holes.

4. A tile according to claim 3, having a channel I extending in said upper face from the top of each hole to the adjacent end of the tile, which channels are so arranged that when two such tiles are connected end to end the channels in the adjacent ends are continuous one with the other.

5. A slab-like protective or warning tile of the type arranged to be connected end to end with others in a line thereof to form a protective or warning line above an underground cable or the like, having atop face and opposed end faces, a hole centrally disposed in the top face near each end, a centrally disposed channel extending in said top face from the top of each hole to the adjacent end of the tile, a centrally disposed integral tongue projecting from the lower part of one end face, and a correspondingly shaped and dimensioned centrally-disposed recess in the lower part of the opposite end face.

6. A protective or warning line of tiles composed of a plurality of similar tiles located end to end, each of which tiles has opposed end faces and a top face, a hole in the top face near each end, an integral tongue projecting from the lower part of one end face and received in a correspondingly shaped and disposed recess in the lower part of the adjacent end face of the next tile, and a correspondingly shaped and disposed recess in the lower part of the opposite end face in which is received the integral tongue of an adjacent tile, combined with metal connecting staples engaged in the aforesaid holes of the tiles and spanning the junctions between successive tiles in the line.

EDWARD VICTOR BYERS. 

